A quick Monday glance around the web at the latest Portland Trail Blazers news and notes as the Blazers get ready to take on the Sacramento Kings tonight (7 p.m.) in preseason game No. 3.

Tonight's game will feature three 2012 NBA lottery picks: Thomas Robinson (No. 5), Damian Lillard (No. 6) and Meyers Leonard (No. 11). Robinson and Lillard are considered (very) early contenders for NBA Rookie of the Year, along with No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis. Robinson, a 6-10 power forward, came off the bench in the Kings preseason opener to score 12 points and grab 8 rebounds in just over 28 minutes. Robinson and Leonard figure to be two of the better big men in this draft class, and it will be interesting to see them square off. On to the links:

The roof has already fallen in on the Trail Blazers. With a roster that will include six players in their first or second year, and with most of the six at the very least possibilities for the rotation, the winning percentage may be worse than in 2011-12, but that doesn't mean the season will be worse. It won't be. (If Aldridge gets hurt, we never had this talk.)
That's the encouraging October perspective, that this is clearly the road back and a lot of the potholes have already been fixed. Lillard, though a scoring point guard in college who needs to prove he can be a sound distributor, is a strong preseason candidate for Rookie of the Year. Leonard, while probably a year and maybe two away, is regarded around the league as an athletic center with a bright future

"Offensively, being a facilitator, a playmaker, whether in pick-and-rolls or post-ups," Stotts says. "Being a consistent wing runner. Defensively, because he is playing both (small forward) and (shooting guard), he’ll be in position to have a challenge every night. Those are tough positions to play in the NBA. And in general, having more of a leadership role.

"Sometimes after a player signs a big contract, there are expectations that he is going to be a different player from day one. To me, it’s more important he just continue to grow as a player."

• Meyers Leonard assesses himself after making his first start in Friday's preseason loss in Phoenix, video from CSNNW.com.

So far Aldridge has treated the pre-season like an extended warm-up, or at least that's the appearance. He's been settling for shots instead of working for them. He's been making do with position instead of establishing it. The Blazers haven't obliged him by running plays for him in scoring position either. Part of this has been working in the new spread offense. But at what point do we need to see the offense work with Aldridge instead of against him?